Carter faces better medical odds than in past

August 20, 2015 6:58 PM

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A decade ago, patients with the type of cancer afflicting former President Jimmy Carter faced a very bleak diagnosis. But immune-boosting drugs approved in just the last few years offer much more hope to patients with melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body.

“The advances in the last five years have been astounding,” said Anna Pavlick, professor and co-director of the melanoma program at New York University’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, who is not treating Carter but is aware of what treatments he's getting. “Patients may go on and have a complete respons...